This relates generally to electronic devices and, more particularly, to electronic devices with hand detection circuitry.
Electronic devices often include touch screen displays. In a typical configuration, a touch screen display serves as the primary user input mechanism for an electronic device. For example, a portable electronic device may include a small number of physical buttons for performing a specific set of input functions and a touch screen display for performing a much larger and more dynamic set of input functions. The touch screen display typically displays user interface elements such as icons and virtual buttons that, when touched by a user, perform a desired action.
Portable electronic devices such as handheld computing devices are often held in and operated with one hand. For example, a user often holds an electronic device in the palm of his or her hand while using the thumb of that hand to interact with the touch screen display. Even when an electronic device is held in two hands, a user will tend to use one hand to provide touch input to the touch screen display.
For some users, it can be difficult to reach the entirety of a touch screen display with one hand. For example, a left handed user may easily be able to reach icons along the left edge of the display but may find it difficult to reach icons along the right edge of the display.
Some electronic devices have made one-handed use easier by allowing for a one-handed mode in which icons near the upper edge of a display are lowered to be closer to the lower edge of the display. This type of adjustment makes it easier for a user to reach the icons with his or her thumbs. However, because conventional electronic devices do not take into account which hand is being used, some icons may still be difficult to reach with one hand even when lowered to the bottom portion of the display.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved electronic devices for one-handed use.